UB: Strong Week 2. Bench

Defranco Shoulder Mobility

Machine Neck Extension - 20X20, 30X20X2

Bench -
BarX10
85X5
105X5
115X5
125X5
145X5

DB Incline Press - 55sX11, 5

Dips - Gym BW 200+10X10, 4

10 minute trot on the treadmill

Switched over to extensions on the neck machine.  I figure this will have more carry-over to the Deadlift and Squat than flexions were going to have to anything else.  However, before I decide to do them for both upper-body days I want to see how the muscles feel tomorrow.  If my neck is sore and achy, I may not want to do them on Press day, and then have them sore on Deadlift day.  OR maybe I should and make my body adapt.  Dunno.

Still hate benching.  I'm still monkeying with my set-up, and taking minimal breaks between sets while the weights are this "light."  I've done 145 for 10 reps before, but those 5 felt pretty heavy today.  Hope that's not a bad sign.

Inclines were much better this time because my traps weren't as sore.  They did start to flare up during this, though, but they're fine again today.  I thought this would be a PR, but it's kind of not.  I went back and looked at my log and on 8/13/11 I benched 145X6 and Inclined 45lb. DBs for 25 reps!  Just looking at that would suggest I was stronger then than I was this session.  Wtf?  The guy that owns the gym is a former state champ bencher, so I may end up paying him to doctor my bench down the road if this shit keeps up this way. 

So Dips.  This program calls for the assistance to be 50% sets, which means you do a set of 10-12, rest no more than 60 seconds and then do another set with the same weight trying to get 1/2 as many reps as the first set.  You aim to add reps with that weight every week until you can get 12, then you up the weight the next week.  If you FAIL to add reps for 3 weeks, you swap out the movement.  The problem with Dips is that bodyweight is obviously a factor.  All I can do is weigh myself at the gym and add weight to the belt to get in the ballpark of what I used the previous week.  So last week I weighed 198, added 10 lbs. and got 11 reps.  This week I weighed 200, added 10lbs. and only got 10.  Is that improvement or not?  It projects to a lower 1RM, but dips aren't exactly a 1RM kind of move.  I'll give it the 3rd week so show some definite signs of upward momentum, and then I'll switch it out for something else.  I want to be good at dips, so this will suck if I have to go that way.

I loped along on the treadmill.  Bully for me.